Cylindrical trunk.



J. A. H. VILLMOW.

OYLINDRIGAL TRUNK.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 2, 1907.

968,098. Patented Aug.23, 1910.

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UETTEE STATES iPaTEET oEEToE.

JOHN A. H. VILLMOW, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

GYLINDR-ICAL TRUNK.

To all whom "it may concem:

Be it known that I, J OHN A. H. VILLMOW, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of IVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cylindrical Trunks, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a cylindrical trunk with a body portion rotatably mounted within a cylindrical casing so as to be capable of being rolled from place to place without disturbing the contents thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a trunk that the contents may be arranged in separate compartments and each compartment brought to register with an opening in the casing so as to be accessible by turning the body portion.

Another object of this invention is to improve upon general details of construc tion of trunks to render them stronger and more easily movable from place to place and to protect clothing contained therein.

lVith the above and other objects in View the invention consists in the trunk herein claimed, its parts and combinations of parts, and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several views: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a trunk constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, showing'the body portion in elevation; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the body portion; Fig. .5 is a front elevation of a fragment of a modification of the invention; and, Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view thereof.

In these drawings 10 represents an outer casing which is of a cylindrical form, pref erably of sheet metal, with its upper end 11 of a dome shape so as to prevent its being turned and left standing on that end and its lower end flat and provided with casters 12 to facilitate moving it about the room. At the corners or edges of the casing are provided a number of bumpers 13 to protect the casing from injury during the handling of the trunk, while hand straps 14 are provided at both ends to facilitate the carrying of the trunk from place to place.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 2, 1907.

Patented Aug; 23,1910. Serial No. 360,212.

Within the casing 10 is rotatably mounted a body portion which preferably comprises a pair of vertical parallel partitions 15 with a vertical partition 16 extending between them and through the middle of the trunk. The partitions divide the interior of the trunk into two deep compartments 17 for containing clothing suspended on hangers and a compartment 18 on one side and a similar compartment on the other side which is provided with parallel end walls 19 with horizontal partitions 20 between them to form guides for a series of drawers 21, the spaces between the end walls 19 and the partitions 15 on either side of the column of drawers being provided with shelves 22. Rods 23 extend across the upper ends of compartments 1? from one partition 15 to the other and form supports for clothes hangers 24.

The body portion also has disk-shaped top and bottom end pieces 25 connected to the several partitions, and trunnions 26 thereon fit in trunnion bearings 27 on the ends of the casing. In order to insure easy movement of the body portion within the casing, rollers 28 are provided at the edges of the end pieces 25 to bear against the side walls of the casing and rollers 29 are also provided thereon to ride upon ring shaped bearing plates 30 in the ends of the casing.

The casing is provided with an opening of a sufiicient size to permit the ,drawers 21 to pass therethrough and hinged doors 31 are adapted to close said opening, being provided with suitable locking mechanism 32 to hold them in their closed position. The meeting edges between the doors 31 and the casing are preferably of a stepped formation as shown at 33 in Fig. 2 to prevent water leaking therethrough and the meeting edges of the two doors are similarly formed as shown at 34 for the same purpose.

If desired the doors may be made to slide instead of being mounted to swing upon hinges and such a construction is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein guide tracks 35 are provided on the outside of the casing in which a door 36 is adapted to slide, having locking means 37 to hold it in its closed position. By this construction the trunk does not occupy more space when the door is open than when the door is closed.

In use the trunk stands on its end as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and when the doors are open the entire interior or body portion is accessible by turning on its trunnions to present one compartment or another to the opening in the casing, and may thus be filled or emptied in the most convenient manner. Clothing may be suspended on the hangers 24 the same as in an ordinary wardrobe and the drawers 21 may be filled as with an ordinary bureau, while the compartment 18 may be packed in any desirable manner.

The weight of the drawers 21 is relied upon to give this portion of the device a greater weight than the opposite portion, so that when the trunk is closed and is being rolled on its side the body portion will always remain in the position shown in Fig. 2, turning on its trunnions as the trunk is moved along as the result of the superior weight of the drawer compartment. Thus the clothing contained in the compartments 17 is never turned on its edge but always remains fiat and will therefore not become deranged but will be preserved in a fresh condition.

The shape of the trunk of this invention renders it stronger and more durable than the ordinary trunk with fiat sides and it is more easily moved from place to place and can not be turned to a position in which the contents will lose their place, the dome shaped upper end preventing its being left upside down and the weight of the drawers and their contents serving to keep the body portion in the desired position when the trunk is on its side. This trunk furthermore does not require the space of the other style of trunk.

It will be understood that there is no necessity for the trunk being a true cylinder in shape, but that it may be of a barrel shape or may be hexagonal or other angular shape in cross section and still be capable of being rolled from place to place like a cylinder, and therefore such other shapes are included in the invention and intended to be covered by the claims by the term cylindrical.

What I claim as my invention is;

1. A trunk, comprising a casing of a cylindrical form adapted to be rolled from place to place and provided with an opening, a cover for the opening, a body portion rotatably mounted within the casing and:

having a clothing compartment accessible through the opening by turning the body portion in the casing, said compartment being formed by a pair of parallel vertical partitions, there being side compartments outside of the parallel partitions, disk shaped end pieces mounted on the partitions, end walls in one of the side compartments, a series of drawers fitted in said side compartment between the end walls, rods extending across the clothing compartment, and clothes hangers suspended on the rods.

2. A trunk, comprising a casing of a cylindrical form adapted to be rolled from place to place and provided with an opening, a cover for the opening, a body portion rotatably mounted within the casing and having a clothing compartment accessible through the opening by turning the body portion in the casing, said compartment being formed by a pair of parallel vertical partitions, disk shaped end pieces mounted on the partitions, rods extending across the clothing compartment, and clothes hangers suspended on the rods.

3. A trunk, comprising a casing of a cylindrical form adapted to be rolled from alace to place and provided with an opening, a door for the opening, a body portion rotatably mounted within the casing and having compartments accessible through the opening by turning the body portion in the casing, said compartments being formed by a pair of parallel vertical partitions and a central partition extending therebetween forming a clothing compartment on each side of the central partition and between the parallel partitions and side compartments outside of the parallel partitions, disk shaped end pieces mounted on the partitions, end walls in one of the side compartments, a series of drawers fitted in said side compartment between the end walls, rods extending across the clothing compartments, and clothes hangers suspended on the rods.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. H. VILLMOW'.

\Vitnesses R. S. C. CALDWELL, ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER. 

